Age of full democracy in Palau
Palau: Age of full democracy was 45 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Palau, 1981–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Palau is 45 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Palau peaked at 45 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1981.
Palau ranks 41st of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Palau, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1 years | — |
| 1982 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1984 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1985 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1987 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1989 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1990 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1991 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 45 years | +2.3% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 45 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 79% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Palau's 45 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 47 years, 96% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Palau changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1983 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1984 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1985 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.5 years | 30 years | 39 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.5 years | 40 years | 45 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More social development data for Palau
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, per square kilometre 0.0022 units per square kilometre (2023)
- LGBT+ Rights Index 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 4.52 (2019)
- Political Rights Score 37 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in Palau?
- Age of full democracy in Palau was 45 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 45 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1981.
- How does Palau rank for age of full democracy?
- Palau ranks 41st out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.